


Open Your Eyes

by tabbytabbytabby



Series: Thiam Prompts [23]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Future Fic, Getting Together, Good Theo Raeken, Hopeful Ending, Hurt Liam Dunbar, Love Confessions, M/M, Minor Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, On the Run, Protective Theo Raeken, Some Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-23 03:18:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13181259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: When Liam accidentally kills someone his eyes turn blue. From there he and Theo are forced to go on the run from hunters who now think it's a game to hunt Liam down.





	Open Your Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> For [Glitter-cake20](https://glitter-cake20.tumblr.com/) who prompted:  
> I need a fic of Liam accidentally/intentionally killing someone and him sobbing in the corner when Theo gets to him 'open your eyes Liam...show me' so he opens them and they're ice blue and Theo is like 'shit...shit shit shit baby wolf' and then they either cover up the murder or plan on how to tell Scott or run away together."
> 
> Hope you like it! I took my liberties with the blue eyes so it might not be accurate in therms of "canon" but really, does canon even know what's accurate?
> 
> This has not been beta read so any mistakes are my own. If you see any please point them out and I'll get them fixed.  
> Title and some inspiration comes from the song [Open Your Eyes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk1Q9y6VVy0) by Snow Patrol

  
[Banner by E_wolfwisegirl](https://ewolfwitchwisegirl.tumblr.com/)

Theo’s heart thuds painfully in his chest when he gets the call from Liam. It’s late, approaching one in the morning so there’s no way whatever he’s calling about is anything good. Especially since Theo lives with Liam and the Geyer’s so if he was home and safe he couldn’t be calling. Liam’s sobbing on the other end of the line, words barely decipherable through his broken sobs.

“Liam,” Theo says, “I need you to calm down enough to tell me what’s going on.”

There’s the sound of Liam’s panicked breathing on the other end of the line, but when he speaks his words are a little clearer than before. Theo wishes they weren’t. What he says makes Theo’s blood run cold, “I killed someone.”

Theo closes his eyes against the sudden dread in the pit of his stomach. It doesn’t mean anything. Liam would never hurt someone on purpose. Theo needs to keep a clear head because Liam needs him right now. He’s already throwing the covers back and putting on his clothes when he asks the question, “Where are you?”

Theo’s even more concerned when Liam says he doesn’t know, just that he’s in some sort of industrial building. Cursing, he throws his shoes and jacket on, grabs his keys, and all but runs out of the house. When he focuses he’s able to catch Liam’s scent in the slow blowing wind and track him to an abandoned warehouse on the other side of town. There are no other cars and he doesn’t hear a heartbeat apart from Liam’s rapidly beating one. He’s not sure whether to feel relieved they’re alone.

Theo slams the door to the truck and runs inside. The whole time he was driving Theo had hoped Liam was confused and no one had died. That he’d been drugged somehow and was imagining it. Neither is the case. This is their life and nothing is that easy for them.

There’s a body lying in the middle of the warehouse, her chest obviously pierced with claws. She’s dead. She died long before Theo got here. He can’t worry about that now. He needs to find Liam. He’s about to call out for him when he hears the broken sob. Turning, Theo spots Liam in the corner the building, curled in on himself as he sobs.

Theo hesitantly approaches, kneeling in front of Liam who has his eyes closed. He’s shifted, his claws out and piercing his jeans. Theo grimaces when he notices the blood still dripping slowly from one of his hands. Any hope he had left that it hadn’t been Liam that killed the girl dies.

Theo sighs, moving a hand up to stoke Liam’s cheek. Liam flinches a little but doesn’t pull back. Theo’s voice is soft when he speaks, not wanting to spook Liam. "Open your eyes Liam. Show me.”

Liam whimpers, trying to turn his head away from Theo, “I can’t.”

“You can,” Theo says, “you can Liam. Just open your eyes.”

Liam turns his head back to Theo and then slowly blinks his eyes open. Theo’s heart stops for a moment when he sees Liam’s eyes are ice blue. He had a suspicion they would be but to have it confirmed is something else. He tries to tamp down the panic swirling in his gut. Now isn't the time.

"Shit… shit shit shit baby wolf.”

“They’re blue, aren’t they?” Liam asks, eyes flicking between Theo’s own.

“Yeah,” Theo breathes, moving his hand to Liam’s neck when the beta starts sobbing again. He uses his hold to pull Liam to him until Liam’s face is tucked against his neck.

Liam’s eyes are blue. Marking him as having killed an innocent. It’s doesn’t matter though. Theo _knows_ Liam. He knows he wouldn’t hurt someone on purpose.

“I’m going to need you to tell me everything,” Theo says, running a hand down Liam’s back.

“There were hunters,” Liam says, “they got to me when I ran to the store to get Mom more ice cream since I ate all of hers. There were 10 of them at least. I couldn’t get away. They brought me here and chained me up. A little while later they brought the girl in. She’s… she was so young Theo. Only a couple years older than me.”

“What happened next?”

“They made me shift in front of her. They wanted to prove to her that I was a monster. I tried not to but I couldn’t stop it. Then when she screamed and tried to run they held onto her to stop her. Then they... “

Liam starts sobbing again, harder this time. Theo can only imagine what happened next. He lets Liam crying for a while, running a hand through his hair in an effort to soothe him.

“They made me do it. I tried to stop but I wasn’t in control. They held me down on the floor and… God Theo they _threw_ her down on me. My claws went right through her heart. I could feel when it stopped beating, see the life leave her.”

Theo isn’t going to say it’s okay. He knows it’s not. Nothing he says right now will help. There’s one thing he needs to know though, “What happened to the hunters?”

“After she died they debated killing me,” Liam says, “but instead they untied me and left me here, saying I’d most likely be an omega soon when my Alpha kicks me out for murdering someone.”

“You didn’t murder anyone,” Theo growls, “what happened _wasn’t_ your fault.”

“I still killed her,” Liam mumbles, “Scott won’t care how it happened.”

“If he kicks you out of the pack for something that you obviously didn’t do that’s his loss.”

“But then I’d be an omega.”

“No,” Theo says, voice firm, “No we’d find another pack. We can go to Derek or…”

“We?” Liam asks, pulling back to look at Theo. His eyes are back to their normal blue now. “What do you mean _we_? You have a pack here.”

“No,” Theo says, “in case you haven’t figured it out Liam _you’re_ my pack. Wherever you go, I go.”

Liam stares at him a moment before he sucks in a harsh breath, “Call Derek. He might have some idea what to do.”

Apparently Derek’s idea involves calling Christ Argent and telling him where to find them. Theo can tell Liam’s afraid. They know Chris, he’s been on their side for a while, but he’s also a hunter and Liam had killed someone.

Chris sighs when he sees the body, looking over at where Theo and Liam are standing. His face is carefully blank, “Is this the part where you tell me this was an accident?”

Liam doesn’t seem to be able to speak so Theo does, telling Chris everything Liam told him. Chris’ frown deepens the more the story goes on. Chris’ eyes stay on Liam the whole time, carefully gauging his reaction. Liam keeps his eyes down cast the whole time, unable to look at him.

“I assume this means your eyes changed?” Chris asks.

Liam nods, glancing up at him nervously, “They did.”

“I’ve heard of hunters doing this,” Chris says, “It’s not something I abide by. It’s some sort of game to them. They think that by forcing betas to kill that gives them the excuse to kill the wolves in turn. It doesn’t. It’s disgusting. They’re going against the code themselves by harming innocents, human and were alike.”

“They didn’t kill me though,” Liam says.

“Yet. They want to wait until you’re alone and vulnerable and then kill you. They want to _hunt_ you. Make it to where you can’t do anything without looking over your shoulder in fear they’re there. This is psychological torture as much as it is physical.”

Theo can’t help the growl that escapes him at the thought. Like hell would he let anyone do that to Liam. “We can’t let that happen.”

“Of course not,” Chris says, “I already having feelers out for who this could be. But until they’re caught you’ll probably need to go somewhere safe.”

“You mean hide?” Liam asks.

Chris nods, “You’re going to have to leave Beacon Hills.”

Liam is surprisingly calm as they leave the warehouse, a strange sort of resolve in his posture. Chris assured them he’d take care of the body, giving them the opportunity to get out of town. He told them not to call anyone, not to tell anyone they were leaving, to not even go home and pack. They just needed to get in Theo’s truck and go. He even insisted they leave their cell phones behind so they didn’t run the risk of being tracked.

Theo can tell Liam doesn’t like the idea. He’s having to leave his whole life behind. His parents, his friends, his pack without so much as an explanation. Argent assures them he’ll explain things to the pack once they’re away and safe but Theo can still see the hesitation there.

“Liam,” Theo says, pulling him towards his truck, “I know this isn’t ideal but we need to go. If the hunters are planning to come from you it’s best that you put as much distance as you can between you and the people you care about. You need to keep them safe.”

Liam pulls Theo to a stop, his brow furrowed in confusion as he looks at the chimera, “What about you?”

“What about me?” Theo asks.

“If there’s a risk the hunters will go after the people I care about to get to me then why are _you_ coming? You’re putting yourself at risk.”

The weight of the words hit Theo like a truck. In all the planning Theo had never once considered the risk for himself. He never thought that Liam could care about him enough for anyone to think hurting him could hurt Liam.

“You never even considered it did you?” Liam asks, voice quiet as he steps closer to Theo. “It never occurred to you what losing you could do to me.”

Theo wants to know as much as he doesn’t. He loves Liam, would do anything to protect him and keep him safe. That’s all he needs to know. Right now, standing out in the open when they should be on the road already isn’t keeping Liam safe. It’s putting him in danger, giving the hunters more time to find him. “Liam this isn’t the time…”

“When will it be the time?” Liam asks, voice slightly bitter. “We’re about to go on the run for God knows how long. With the lives we live there might never be a good time. So if you’re so insistent on coming with me I need you to know, to understand something. I _can’t_ lose you, okay? I can’t. You’re too important to me. And if you need it spelled out even more I love you, you asshole. Losing you would be like losing a part of me. If that happened I wouldn’t care if the hunters found me. Hell I might even want them to.”

“ _Liam_.”

Liam rolls his eyes, grabbing Theo’s jacket and pulling Theo in for a quick, biting kiss. When he pulls back he rests his forehead against Theo’s, “Don’t go dying on me.”

“I can’t promise you that,” Theo says, “just like you can’t promise me you won’t die. But I can promise you I’ll do what I have to do to stay alive, to keep _you_ live. Crazy as it sounds, I love you too. Like I told you before: wherever you go, I go. I don’t care how dangerous it is.”

Liam nods, “Then I guess we should get going.”

Theo’s amazed by how calm and certain Liam appears when not even an hour ago he was sobbing in the corner barely able to speak. He doesn’t know how long it will last. Whatever control Liam has right now is a fragile thing. He notices Liam tense as they cross over the line leaving them out of Beacon Hills before he releases a shaky breath.

Before they left Theo had gotten the address to a safe house in Wyoming from Argent. He doesn’t say much, just that it will be prepared and someone will be waiting for them there. Theo hopes it’s not Scott. He knows Liam will have to face him eventually but with his control so shaky he doesn’t need to deal with any of that right now.

He drives the first few hours, constantly checking in on Liam with what he hopes are subtle glances. He had hoped that Liam would find a way to get some sleep but that doesn’t happen. Liam just sits with his head pressed to the window as he stares out into the darkness. He’s looking but Theo’s not really sure he’s seeing anything. It’s like he’s somewhere else.

“You should try and sleep,” Theo finally says after 4 hours of driving.

Liam’s eyes flick over to meet Theo’s for a moment before glancing away again, “I can’t. Every time I close my eyes I see her. If I try to sleep...”

Liam takes in a shaky breath. Theo hates himself a little for suggesting it. He knows what it’s like to have those nightmares. To have the face of someone he hurt haunt him every time he closes his eyes. He’d do anything to make it to where Liam didn’t have to deal with that. But he knows it’s impossible.

“Okay,” Theo says, voice sounding far too loud in the uneasy silence of the truck.

Theo drives for another few hours before he has to stop for gas. He’s grateful for the break. Driving in a car for 6 hours without stopping is not comfortable, especially if you’re the one driving. He’d just wanted to put as much distance between then and the hunters as possible. He’s only stopping now because the gas tank is almost on empty.

Theo twists, trying to stretch his muscles so he doesn’t feel as stiff. He hears movement and then Liam is there beside him, looking up at him with a concerned frown on his face, “Do you want me to drive?”

“I’m fine driving,” Theo says, “I just needed to stretch a bit.”

Liam sighs, “I can handle driving for a few hours. It might help to have something to focus on,” Liam says, moving his eyes to where his shoe is kicking at the pavement.

Theo takes his hand, lacing their fingers together before bringing Liam’s hand up so he can kiss his knuckles, “I’m going to pump the gas. You go inside and see if you can find something to eat. I’ll be in when I’m done.”

Theo hates sending Liam off alone like that but he knows they need to get back on the road as soon as possible. He still keeps his eyes on the building the whole time he’s waiting for the tank to fill, then all but runs into the building to find Liam. He doesn’t see him right away and feels his stomach drop until he picks up on Liam’s rapid heartbeat over by the drinks.

Liam looks like he’s trying to balance what looks like sandwiches in his arms as he piles drinks in beside them. Theo can tell they’re going to topple before it happens. Luckily he’s there in time to catch the drinks before they hit the floor and Liam keeps his hold on the food.

“Do you have everything?” Theo asks. Liam nods. “And you used the bathroom?”

“Yes,” Liam says, glancing around the gas station nervously, “now can we hurry? I have a bad feeling about this place.”

“I’m going to run to the bathroom,” Theo says. The thought makes him uneasy but he doesn’t want to have to stop again for a while. “I’ll put these up there and have you pay. I’ll leave the keys with you so you can wait in the truck if you’re done first.”

Theo tries to hurry but of course there’s a line in the bathroom since only one of the urinals is working. Theo finally has enough and slips into the women’s restroom which is thankfully empty. It still takes more time than he’d like. He startles a woman when he’s leaving, hollering out a quick “sorry in a hurry,” before all running out the door. He’s exiting the bathroom when his phone dings signaling an incoming text. He’s confused when it dings again three more times immediately after.

His confusion turns to worry when he sees that it’s Liam that texted him, **_“Theo the hunters are here. Had to move the truck around back. You need to hurry! Don’t let them see you!”_**

Cursing, Theo moves to peek into the gas station. He has no idea what the hunters actually look like but they shouldn’t be hard to spot. Sure enough, he notices some burly looking men skulking around the snack section. Theo turns around and slips into the employee’s only area. He makes sure he’s not seen as he makes his way through to where he knows the back door has to be.

Liam is parked by the door, car running and waving frantically for him to get in. They both share a look once Theo is in the truck. The scent of anxiety is thick in the air and Theo hates it. They’d done such a good job of making it out undetected. They got rid of their phones so they couldn’t be tracked and he knows Argent wouldn’t give them up. So how had the hunters found them?

Theo narrows his eyes as he opens the door, about to get back out of the truck. Liam stops him with a hand on his arm, “What are you doing? We need to get out of here.”

“Not yet,” Theo says, jumping down out of the truck. He ducks to the ground and starts looking around under the truck. Sure enough, there’s something hooked to the bottom. He pulls it off, holding it up to show Liam whose eyes widen, “They were tracking us?”

“Looks like it,” Theo says, tossing the tracking device into the dumpster and getting back into the truck. He’s tempted to smash it but he knows as long as it’s working the hunters will think they’re still at the gas station, buying them more time. He shoots a grin at Liam, “Not anymore though. There’s a back road behind you. Take it and we can try to loop around back to the highway. I don’t want to risk going back around front.”

“How did you know to look?” Liam asks, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel as he drives off. Both are carefully checking to make sure they’re not being followed.

“I knew there was no other way they could have found us so quickly,” Theo says, “they’re not that clever.”

“They’re not going to give up,” Liam mutters, glaring out the windshield.

Theo sighs, placing a hand on Liam’s thigh and rubbing soothing circles there with his thumb, “Maybe not but I’m not going to let them get to you Liam.”

“And how exactly do you plan to stop them?”

“I’ll do what I have to do,” Theo says, voice leaving no room for argument. He doesn’t have to explain what he means. Liam knows. Theo might be on the side of the good guys now but that doesn’t mean he would even hesitate to kill if it meant protecting Liam.

“It won’t come to that,” Liam says, voice quiet in the space between them.

Theo feels worn down and tired but he makes himself stay awake while Liam drives. Maybe before he would have let himself sleep but now that the hunters are so close he can’t risk it.

“I bought some burner phones,” Liam says, glancing over at Theo, “I just couldn’t handle not having any contact at all. Maybe you could call Argent really quick and tell him about the hunters?”

Theo sighs, “If there was a risk of them tracking our phones how do you know they wouldn’t track everyone else’s?”

“My parents and the pack I could understand but Argent? He’s a hunter.”

“And a known ally of the McCall pack Liam,” Theo says. He wishes that wasn’t the case but the sad truth is that they’re on their own until they reach the safe house. “Look, I know you’re worried about everyone but they’d want you to be smart and keep yourself safe. We just need to get to the safe house. We can figure everything else from there, okay?”

Liam nods, his hand gripping the steering wheel even tighter only to relax when Theo squeezes his thigh. The next few hours pass in silence, both too caught up in their own heads to say much. When Liam lawns Theo decides it’s a good idea to stop again. Liam looks hesitant.

“We’re getting close,” Theo says, “Another 3 hours and we’ll be there. I’d rather stop and fill up now so we don’t have to worry about it. That and I can take over driving again.”

“I can manage another few ours,” Liam says, only to hide another yawn into his shoulder.

“You’re exhausted Liam,” Theo says, putting the nozzle into the gas tank and locking it so it pumps itself. “I know why you don’t want to sleep. I get it, believe me. But fighting sleep only makes it worse. I promise I’ll wake you up immediately if you start having a nightmare.”

Liam looks like he wants to argue but his shoulders slump instead, “Fine.”

Theo nods, “Now get back in the truck. I’m almost done here and I want to get back on the road as soon as I can.”

Liam quickly walks around the truck and gets into the passenger side. He’s shutting his door when the pump clicks off signaling the tank is full. Theo makes quick work of closing the tank and putting the nozzle back and then jumps into the truck, starting it and pulling out before he even has his seatbelt on.

 

They reach the safe house a few hours later, both just sitting in the truck watching the SUV parked outside. It looks familiar but Theo can’t quite place why, at least not until Derek Hale gets out followed by Stiles. Theo relaxes at the sight of the familiar faces but he notices Liam visibly tense. While Theo for once welcomes the familiarity Liam probably wishes for a stranger, someone that doesn’t know him and he doesn’t have to explain himself to.

“We need to get out Liam,” Theo says, glancing over at the beta, “you’re going to have to face this sooner or later.”

“I was hoping it would be later,” Liam mutters, looking down at his hands.

“You know if there’s anyone that’s not going to judge you it’s Derek,” Theo says. It’s the truth. Derek has been through his fair share of bullshit. He doesn’t know all the details but he knows if anyone is going to understand what Liam is going through it’s Derek. That’s probably why he was the one Argent had meet them here. That and Derek already had an idea of what happened.

Liam nods, surprising Theo when he leans in for a quick kiss before getting out of the car. Theo sits there for a moment, staring at Liam as he walks around the car. He stops a few feet away, glancing over his shoulder at Theo, “Well? Are you coming or not?”

Theo rolls his eyes, grabbing the keys and getting out of the cars to join Liam. He notices Liam’s hesitation so he reaches over, lacing their fingers together as they walk to meet Derek and Stiles. He can see Stiles narrow his eyes when he spots their joined hands. Stiles doesn’t say anything, but his lips thin as he crosses his arms. Derek is silent as he leads them into the house and into the living room. Theo leads Liam over to the couch, sitting down next to him with their thighs brushing. Derek and Stiles stay standing across from them rather than sitting. Theo hates how much it feels like an interrogation.

“We weren’t expecting it to be you,” Theo says, looking between the two.

“Chris thought things might go smoother with me here,” Derek says, turning his gaze to Liam, “he seems to think I have a sort of understanding about what Liam is going through.”

“He’s not wrong,” Stiles says, “I mean, I wish he was but he’s not.”

“Does Scott know?” Liam asks. Theo hates how small his voice gets, as if he’s unsure if he should voice the question.

“I don’t know,” Derek says, “Chris didn’t want to be calling a lot of people and risk the calls being monitored.”

Liam nods, eyes still downcast. Theo sighs, moving his arm to Liam’s shoulders and pulling the beta to him. He buries his face in Liam’s hair, keeping his voice low even though he knows Derek will still be able to hear him. Derek must sense this because he nudges Stiles’ shoulder and drags him away towards the kitchen. “It was an accident Liam. Someone used your body against you and that _wasn’t_ your fault. Scott will have to understand that.”

“But we don’t kill people,” Liam says.

Theo growls, “You _didn’t_ kill anyone. I don’t care what anyone else says. I don’t give a damn what color your eyes are. _It wasn’t your fault_.”

Liam pulls back, eyes flashing as he looks at Theo, “It doesn’t matter? Every time someone sees me now they’re going to _know_. It won’t matter that it wasn’t my fault. These eyes…”

“Are beautiful,” Theo says, cutting Liam off, “they’ll always be beautiful to me. You know blue has always suited you Liam.”

“It’s different though.”

“But still beautiful,” Theo says with a shrug, “everything about you is. And think of it this way, if your eyes change at least people will think it’s a trick of the light now.”

Theo feels proud when Liam’s lips lift in a slow smile, “True. It really doesn't matter to you?”

“Of course not. You’ve managed to accept me and let me be part of your life in spite of all the things I’ve done. You trust that I’ve changed. You see the good in me just like I see the good in you. And you _are_ good Liam. These,” Theo bring his hand up to Liam’s cheek, brushing his thumb beneath Liam’s eye, “these don’t change that. They’re part of you now but they don’t define who you are.”

“He’s right you know,” Derek says, surprising them both when he walks back into the room, “it took me a long time to accept that. I understand what it’s like to have your body used as a weapon against your will Liam. That feeling doesn’t just go away but it does get easier.”

“How?” Liam asks.

Derek glances over at Stiles with a smile, “You let people in. Let them help you.”

“Let them love and care for you even when you are a stubborn asshole who likes to think he doesn’t deserve it,” Stiles says, grinning at Derek, “they’ll be there to remind you that you do deserve to be loved. And you’ll do the same for them.

“I might not understand it but I can see how much you two care for each other,” at that he looks over at Theo, “he’s going to need you, now more than ever.”

“And I’ll be there,” Theo says. Of course he will. There was never any other choice.

He turns to Liam who smiles softly at him before tucking resting his head on Theo’s shoulder. Theo knows they have a long road ahead of them. The hunters are still after them. The future looks pretty uncertain but if there is one thing Theo is certain of it’s that whatever comes for Liam he’ll be there facing it right along with him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/Comments make my day <3  
> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


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